Marketing is an important part of any business – and lots of companies do it in house. So, why, you may wonder, would anyone ever hire an advertising agency?
We’re glad you asked.
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A creative agency is a company that specializes in providing marketing and advertising services to other businesses, with a focus on the visual and innovative aspects of branding across platforms.
They emphasize creative strategies and content, including things includes things like:
Creative agencies help businesses effectively communicate their message to target audiences and seek to improve brand awareness and recognition.
There are many types of creative agencies, including shops that specialize in design, content and digital services. Others, like Greenlight Marketing, are full-service advertising and marketing agencies that provide a comprehensive range of services.
Nearly every business has some form of in-house creative capabilities, ranging from a full creative team to a part-time employee with a pirated version of Photoshop. Which, of course leads to the question, why hire an outside agency?
Businesses hire creative agencies for the same reason most people take their cars to mechanics. The difference between an agency and a DIY approach is the difference between full-time expert professionals and a “shade tree” tinkerer. Yes, you can do the work yourself, but if you use a qualified professional, you can be sure of the results – and save yourself a lot of headaches.
Professional creatives don’t make design decisions based on feeling or what they think looks or sounds good. Instead, they harness their experience and decades of market research to make decisions about what will have the most impact.
For example, did you know there’s a predictable way in which people’s eyes scan a page? It might sound trivial, but simply placing your logo in the right position can make a big difference.
Additionally, by contracting with an outside company for your creative work, you free up your internal team for other projects, which can save you significant time and money. A good creative agency will have access to a wide range of technology tools that allow them to efficiently create pieces that would take your in-house team much longer.
An outside agency also gives you objective feedback that you may otherwise not have. When you’re working on a brand every day, sometimes you get too close to it and lose the ability to examine it without biases.
Creative agencies approach your work methodically, offering impartial feedback that can help you refine concepts and strategies to be more effective.
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Signs You Need a Creative Agency
Here are some surefire signs you should bring in outside help:
Your marketing team probably oversees a wide range of duties. And they may not have the knowledge, training or experience to keep everything aligned with the brand’s core principles and identity.
If you’re not 100% certain your brand is consistent across channel and format, you should bring in professional creatives.
Bringing in an advertising agency will give you a team of experienced professionals who will help you eliminate confusion around colors, logos, voice and all other aspects of your brand.
This, in turn, establishes a consistent brand identity, which maximizes recognition and improves audience perception.
Ineffective marketing campaigns can be a massive waste of time and resources. If you’re not hitting your marketing goals, or just feel like you’re leaving something on the table, a creative agency can make a big difference.
They will help you hone in on an effective strategy that will speak to your audience and drive actions. They will do a deep dive into your target audience and then create assets that will stay true to your brand and its core values and resonate with the audience.
Additionally, a good agency will have the connections and experience to create and position your marketing efforts for maximum effect.
When you’re scaling up your business, there is a lot to think about. In addition to taking some or all your marketing off your plate, a creative agency works as your sounding board.
Providing a deep understanding of your competitive landscape, your creative agency gives you a trusted team you can rely on to provide unbiased opinions and provide pushback and constructive criticism your in-house employees may be reluctant to.
This may sound counterintuitive at first, but hiring a creative agency can actually save you money.
For one thing, a creative agency can eliminate the time and expense of in-house creative development and free up your marketing department for other tasks. This allows your internal staff to redirect their focus toward core activities, while the agency ensures streamlined and efficient creative work.
More importantly, a creative agency can help you improve your return on investment (ROI). Agencies work with multiple clients and brands, which allows them to develop a thorough understanding of media and placement. They often have connections that provide access to better rates.
Pair this with the agency’s expertise in design and branding, and your marketing be more effective at appealing to your target audience at a better price.
Greenlight Creative Gets Results
Greenlight Marketing has a team of experienced creative professionals with decades of combined experience. They have worked on accounts ranging from Fortune 500 companies to startups and understand what works – and just as importantly, what doesn’t.
They combine established principles and innovative approaches to create campaigns that address your targets’ problems and paint you as the best possible solution. Dedicated to constant evolution, they’ll work with you to understand what your brand represents and then determine solutions to help you reach your goals.
Greenlight’s Suite of Creative Services
Brand Strategy
Brand strategy is the foundation of successful creative marketing. You have to understand what your brand is before you can sell it to your target audience. Is your brand professional and authoritative? Playful and a little edgy? Competitive and performance-oriented? The brand identity you choose also has to take into account the audience you’re trying to reach.
Anyone can write, but not everyone can write good marketing copy. Effective copywriting captures your brand’s “voice” and resonates with your target audience, from headlines that initially get the audience’s attention to building a convincing case for how your products and services will satisfy the audience’s needs.
Graphic design is the art of using visual content to identify your brand and convey messages to your target audience. It includes things like logo design, but also carefully choosing and creating images and understanding typography and visual hierarchy to get the audience’s attention and achieve your messaging goal.
Art direction goes hand in hand with graphic design in many projects. Art direction is coming up with the creative concept and visual style of a project and then overseeing and guiding the execution of that project to bring the vision to life in a way that achieves your goals.
The automotive industry is about motion. Video can be a powerful marketing tool for your business, but doing it right takes more than pointing a phone. It takes planning, pre-production, and post-shooting production and editing get a product that will deliver value for your business.
Creative Services to Build a Brand and Grow Your Business
Whatever your goals, Greenlight Marketing’s team has the creative vision and skillset to get you there.
Contact us today and let us put you on the road to becoming an iconic brand in your industry.
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